System and method for compressing content centric networking messages

ABSTRACT

A computer system can compress or decompress a type-length-value (TLV) component in a message. During operation, the computer can select a compression table associated with a network interface used to send and/or to receive the message, and can search the compression table for an entry that includes a prefix of a value from type-length-value (TLV) component being compressed or decompressed. If compressing the message, the computer may generate a compressed block that corresponds to a compressed version of the TLV component, such that the compressed block includes the compression encoding in place of the prefix in the TLV component&#39;s value. The computer can also generate a compressed message that includes the compressed block in place of the TLV component, without a compression table.

BACKGROUND Field

This disclosure is generally related to a content centric network (CCN). More specifically, this disclosure is related to compressing and decompressing CCN messages.

Related Art

The proliferation of the Internet and e-commerce continues to fuel revolutionary changes in the network industry. Today, a significant number of information exchanges, from online movie streaming to daily news delivery, retail sales, and instant messaging, are conducted online. An increasing number of Internet applications are also becoming mobile. However, the current Internet operates on a largely location-based addressing scheme. The most ubiquitous protocol, the Internet Protocol (IP), is based on location-based address. That is, a consumer of content can only receive the content by explicitly requesting the content from an address (e.g., IP address) closely associated with a physical object or location. A request that has a URL with an IP address for a specific organization causes the request to go to that organization's servers and not to those of another organization.

Recently, content centric networking (CCN) architectures have been proposed in the industry. CCN brings a new approach to content transport. Instead of having network traffic viewed at the application level as end-to-end connections over which content travels, content is requested or returned based on its unique location-independent name, and the network is responsible for routing content from the provider to the consumer.

With content centric networks, there are generally two types of CCN messages: Interests and Content Objects. An Interest message includes a name for a Content Object, and a client can disseminate the Interest over CCN to obtain the Content Object from any CCN node that hosts the Content Object. The Interest is forwarded toward a CCN node that advertises at least a prefix of the Interest's name. If this CCN node can provide the Content Object, this node can return the Content Object (along the Interest's reverse path) to satisfy the Interest.

There's multiple ways to compress messages. One approach may be to use a general compression algorithm, such as the “zip” compression algorithm, to compress portions of a message. The zip algorithm would create a compression table of common bit patterns, and specifies a sequence in which these patterns occur within the file. However, such compression algorithms include the compression table within the compressed file. If two computers frequently exchange data with similar segments, the two computers may frequently exchange compression tables that are substantially similar, which can result in redundant data transfers.

SUMMARY

One embodiment provides a computer system that can compress a type-length-value (TLV) component in a message. During operation, the computer can select, from a message, a TLV component to compress. The computer can search a compression table for an entry that includes a prefix of the TLV component's value, and obtains a compression encoding for the TLV value from the compression table entry. The computer may then generate a compressed block that corresponds to a compressed version of the TLV component, such that the compressed block includes the compression encoding in place of the prefix in the TLV component's value. The computer can also generate a compressed message that includes the compressed block in place of the TLV component.

In some embodiments, the message can include an information-centric networking (ICN) message or a content-centric networking (CCN) message.

In ICN, each piece of content is individually named, and each piece of data is bound to a unique name that distinguishes the data from any other piece of data, such as other versions of the same data or data from other sources. This unique name allows a network device to request the data by disseminating a request or an Interest that indicates the unique name, and can obtain the data independent from the data's storage location, network location, application, and means of transportation. CCN or Named-data network (NDN) are examples of ICN architecture; the following terms describe elements of an NDN or CCN architecture:

Content Object: A single piece of named data, which is bound to a unique name. Content Objects are “persistent,” which means that a Content Object can move around within a computing device, or across different computing devices, but does not change. If any component of the Content Object changes, the entity that made the change creates a new Content Object that includes the updated content, and binds the new Content Object to a new unique name.

Unique Names: A name in an CCN is typically location independent and uniquely identifies a Content Object. A data-forwarding device can use the name or name prefix to forward a packet toward a network node that generates or stores the Content Object, regardless of a network address or physical location for the Content Object. In some embodiments, the name may be a hierarchically structured variable-length identifier (HSVLI). The HSVLI can be divided into several hierarchical components, which can be structured in various ways. For example, the individual name components parc, home, ndn, and test.txt can be structured in a left-oriented prefix-major fashion to form the name “/parc/home/ndn/test.txt.” Thus, the name “/parc/home/ndn” can be a “parent” or “prefix” of “/parc/home/ndn/test.txt.” Additional components can be used to distinguish between different versions of the content item, such as a collaborative document.

In some embodiments, the name can include an identifier, such as a hash value that is derived from the Content Object's data (e.g., a checksum value) and/or from elements of the Content Object's name. A description of a hash-based name is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/847,814 (entitled “ORDERED-ELEMENT NAMING FOR NAME-BASED PACKET FORWARDING,” by inventor Ignacio Solis, filed 20 Mar. 2013), which is hereby incorporated by reference. A name can also be a flat label. Hereinafter, “name” is used to refer to any name for a piece of data in a name-data network, such as a hierarchical name or name prefix, a flat name, a fixed-length name, an arbitrary-length name, or a label (e.g., a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) label).

Interest: A packet that indicates a request for a piece of data, and includes a name (or a name prefix) for the piece of data. A data consumer can disseminate a request or Interest across an information-centric network, which CCN/NDN routers can propagate toward a storage device (e.g., a cache server) or a data producer that can provide the requested data to satisfy the request or Interest.

In some embodiments, the ICN system can include a content-centric networking (CCN) architecture. However, the methods disclosed herein are also applicable to other ICN architectures as well. A description of a CCN architecture is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/338,175 (entitled “CONTROLLING THE SPREAD OF INTERESTS AND CONTENT IN A CONTENT CENTRIC NETWORK,” by inventors Van L. Jacobson and Diana K. Smetters, filed 18 Dec. 2008), which is hereby incorporated by reference.

In some embodiments, the computer can determine an interface for forwarding the CCN message, based on the CCN message's name, and selects the compression table that corresponds to the interface.

In some embodiments, once the computer generates the compressed message, the computer can forward the compressed message via the interface.

In some embodiments, while generating the compressed block, if the computer determines that the compression encoding corresponds to a subset of the TLV's value, the computer can set a continuation field of the compressed block to indicate that additional data follows the compressed block.

In some embodiments, if the computer determines that a suffix of the TLV component's value does not have a matching entry in the compression table, the computer determines a size of the suffix. The computer also appends, to the end of the compressed block, a size field that includes the suffix's size, and appends the suffix to the size field.

In some embodiments, if the computer determines that a sequence of characters following the TLV component's value have a matching entry in the compression table, the computer appends, to the compressed block, a size field with a zero value. The computer also appends, to the size field, one or more additional compressed blocks that compress a remaining portion of the TLV component's value.

One embodiment provides a computer system that can decompress a TLV component in a message.

During operation, the computer can receive a compressed message via a network interface. The computer can select a compression table associated with the interface, and can decompress a message portion from a respective compressed block of the compressed message, using the compression table. If the computer determines that the respective compressed block corresponds to a TLV component, the computer may compute a length of the message portion, and recreates the TLV component using the message portion and the computed length. The computer may then generate a decompressed message, which includes the TLV component in place of the compressed block.

In some embodiments, the computer can synchronize entries of the compression table with a computer node accessible via the interface.

In some embodiments, while decompressing the message portion from the respective compressed block, if the computer detects that a continuation field of the compressed block indicates that additional data follows the compressed block, and the computer reads a size field following the compressed block in the compressed message.

In some embodiments, if the computer determines that the size field includes a non-zero value, the computer reads a number of bytes that follow the compressed block, corresponding to the size to obtain a data suffix, and appends the data suffix to the message portion.

In some embodiments, if the computer determines that the size field includes a zero value, the computer may decompress a second compressed block that follows the respective compressed block in the compressed message, to obtain a second message portion, and appends the second message portion to the message portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary CCN message in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 2 an exemplary TLV in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary computer environment that allows a CCN network node to use a local compression table to decompress a CCN message from a neighboring CCN node in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 4 presents a flow chart illustrating a method for compressing TLVs in a CCN message in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 5 presents a flow chart illustrating a method for decompressing TLVs in a CCN message in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a structure of a compressed block that facilitates compressing TLVs and non-TLV data in a CCN message in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 7A presents a flow chart illustrating a method for compressing TLVs and non-TLV data in a CCN message in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 7B presents a flow chart illustrating a method for generating a compressed block for a TLV in a CCN message in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 8A presents a flow chart illustrating a method for decompressing TLVs and non-TLV data in a CCN message in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 8B presents a flow chart illustrating a method for decompressing a TLV compressed block in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary apparatus that facilitates compressing or decompressing TLVs in a message in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary computer system that facilitates compressing or decompressing TLVs in a message in accordance with an embodiment.

In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same figure elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the embodiments, and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

Overview

Embodiments of the present invention provide a computer system that can compress CCN messages in a way that facilitates deduping value prefixes of Type-Length-Value (TLV) components in the message. For example, if CCN messages transmitted over a computer network typically correspond to a common set of name prefixes, the computer may replace these name prefixes with their corresponding codes in a compression table. The compressed CCN message may include the TLV's value in compressed form, and in some embodiments, may omit the TLV's length and the compression table. The recipient of the compressed CCN message can use a local compression table to decompress the TLV's value (and any other compressed sections of the CCN message), and can compute the TLV's length from the TLV's value to recreate the TLV component.

A CCN message can include several TLV structures, such that each TLV can include a type, a length, and a value. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary CCN message 100 in accordance with an embodiment. For example, CCN message 100 can correspond to an Interest message that includes a location-independent name for content, or can correspond to a Content Object that includes the location-independent name as well as the corresponding content. Specifically, CCN message 100 can include a fixed header 102, a per-hop header 104, a message section 106, and a validation section 108. In some embodiments, per-hop header 104, message section 106, and/or validation section 108 can be structured in a TLV format.

FIG. 2 an exemplary TLV 200 in accordance with an embodiment. TLV 200 can include a “type” field 202, a “length” field 204, and a “value” field 206. Type field 202 can specify a type for the data stored in value field 206, and length field 204 can specify a length (e.g., a number of bytes) for the data stored in value field 206.

For example, a TLV for the name “Ignacio” may include the type “name,” the length 7, and the value “Ignacio.”

TABLE 1 Type Length Value Name 7 Ignacio

A computer can implement a data-compression module that can processes a data block, which may include one or more TLVs, to create a compression table of common bit patterns. The computer's compression module can generate a compressed file that can specify a sequence in which these patterns occur within the file. The compression table may appear as follows:

TABLE 2 Data Encoding Ignacio 1 Type Name 01 Value 7 001

Given the compression table listed in Table 2, the compression module may compress the TLV listed in Table 1 using the binary encoding:

“010011”  (1)

The compression table listed in Table 2 can be used by the local computer, or another computer, to decompress the binary encoding (1) into the original TLV listed in Table 1. Oftentimes, decompression is performed in a self-contained way, where a compressed packet includes both the compression table and the compressed binary encoding. In embodiments of the present invention, two neighboring computers of a network topology can agree on a compression table (e.g., by synchronizing and/or negotiating changes to their shared compression table) ahead of time. Then, the computer that receives a compressed CCN message can use the local compression table to decompress the message, which prevents network nodes having to send a compression table each time they need to send compressed CCN messages over the computer network.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary computer environment that allows CCN network nodes to use a local compression table to compress or decompress a CCN message in accordance with an embodiment. For example, computing environment 300 can include a content centric network 302, which includes a plurality of edge nodes 304 and routing nodes 106 that can forward Interests based on their name or name prefix. Also, edge nodes 304 and routing nodes 306 can return Content Objects, which satisfy the Interest, based on the Content Object's name (for named Content Objects) or based on the Content Object's hash (for nameless Content Objects). A client device 334 can disseminate a compressed message that includes an Interest over CCN 302, without having to include the compression table in the compressed message. This reduces the amount of data that needs to be transmitted over CCN 302 by replacing a common TLV (or TLV segment) with a corresponding code that is shared by CCN nodes within a network neighborhood.

In some embodiments, the CCN edge nodes and routing nodes can decompress the corresponding TLVs they need for forwarding the message, such as a per-hop header stored in TLV format. A content producer or hosting service (e.g., content-hosting services 320 and 330) can decompress the full message to obtain the Interest, and can compress a Content Object that satisfies the Interest before returning the Content Object via CCN. Once client device 334 receives the Content Object, client device 334 can decompress the full Content Object to validate the Content Object (e.g., using a validation section expressed in TLV format), and to obtain the Content Object's payload (e.g., a message section expressed in TLV format).

In some embodiments, a client can disseminate a series of Interests for multiple chunks that make up a file, using an Interest name:

“/parc/file/c=n”  (2)

In Interest (2), the portion “/parc” serves as a CCN routable prefix, that may be associated with one or more content producers that host or generate content for the “/parc” domain. Also, the name prefix “/parc/file” serves as a content identifier, which is common to a collection of Content Objects that are members of the “/parc/file” data collection. The name portion “c=n” serves as a name suffix, where n specifies a chunk identifier (or sequence number) for a chunk corresponding to the data collection or stream named “/parc/file.” If the collection has 10 chunks, the system can generate TLVs for the 10 corresponding Interests as follows:

TABLE 3 Type Length Value Name 14 “/parc/file/c=1” Name 14 “/parc/file/c=2” Name 14 “/parc/file/c=3” . . . . . . . . . Name 14 “/parc/file/c=9” Name 15 “/parc/file/c=10”

In some embodiments, the system may generate a compression table for the TLVs listed in Table 3, and can use this compression table to compress the TLVs. A simple compression algorithm may compress each individual TLV, and my do so using the complete data within each TLV field. However, such a simple compression technique may not be capable of compressing TLVs for several related Interests using the same compression table, when there are subtle variations in the Interests' TLVs. For example, a trailing portion of the TLV's “value” field can vary based on the sequence number in the Interest's suffix. Also, the TLV's “length” field can vary depending on the length of the Interest's suffix.

In some embodiments, the computer can generate a compression table based on the individual components within the TLV (e.g., a CCN name). For example, the computer can generate the following compression table for the TLVs in Table 3:

TABLE 4 Data Code “Name” 1 “parc” 2 “/file” 3 “/c=” 4 2, 3 5 5, 4 6 1, 6 7 In Table 4, the name prefix “/parc/file/c=” is compressed into a binary encoding represented by the code 4, and the TLV for this name prefix is encoded into a binary encoding represented by the code: 7.

In some embodiments, the compression table can use a variable-length binary code, as illustrated in Table 5. The name prefix “/parc/file/c=” can be compressed into a variable-length binary code “011,” and the TLV for this name prefix can be encoded into a variable-length binary code “0111.”

TABLE 5 Data Variable-length Code “Name” 1 “parc” 01 “/file” 001 “/c=” 011 01, 001 0001 0001, 011 0011 1, 0011 0111

Moreover, the compression module may ignore the “length” field of the TLV, or may replace the “length” field with a predetermined value, to generate smaller compression dictionaries and smaller compressed TLVs. This is possible because a TLV decompressor can derive the length from the TLV's “value” field after decompressing the “type” and “value” fields.

In some embodiments, the TLV compressor can generate a TLV that references elements of a compressed TLV. For example, given that the TLV for the name prefix “/parc/file/c=” is represented in the compression table using the code 7, the system can encode a TLV for the name “/parc/file/c=10” using the tuple:

TABLE 6 Encoded Value Appended Value 7 “10”

A computer can decompress the TLV of Table 6 by first decoding the TLV represented by the coded value 7, appending the character sequence “10” to the “value” field of the decompressed TLV, and then recomputing the “length” field. This operation is illustrated in Table 7, where T₇ represents the decompressed “type” field, L₇ represents the decompressed “length” field, and V₇ represents the decompressed “value” field:

TABLE 7 Type Length Value T₇ L₇ + 2 V₇, “10” The system can first decompress the “type” and “value” fields for TLV represented by the code 7 (or variable-length code “0001”), and computes the “length” of the decompressed “value” field. The system can then use the decompressed “value” field for TLV ₇ and the “appended value” data in the tuple of Table 6 to decode the original “value” field “/parc/file/c=10”. The system can also recompute the “length” field of TLV ₇ based on the decompressed “value” field, and adds the length of the “appended value” field (e.g., a length of 2) to derive the length 15 of the original “length” field.

This solution helps compress TLVs by recognizing that certain portions of the TLVs may change frequently between packets, while other portions of the TLVs may have values in common. This TLV compression technique can build a compression table based on the TLV patterns that are common between different TLVs from a given CCN domain or for a given data collection, and leaves the remaining portions out of the compression table. This can result in a compact compression table that can leverage the CCN name portions found throughout multiple different TLVs, without having to create TLV entries in the compression table for specific Content Objects. Having a compact TLV compression table makes it easier to transfer and synchronize the compression table between different computers across CCN.

FIG. 4 presents a flow chart illustrating a method 400 for compressing TLVs in a CCN message in accordance with an embodiment. Specifically, a computer or switch (both referred to as a computer herein) can obtain a CCN message to send over a CCN as a compressed message (operation 402). Recall that in some embodiments, the compression tables are negotiated between neighbors of a network topology. Hence, the computer can select an interface to use for forwarding the CCN message (operation 404), and selects a compression table associated with the interface (operation 406). In some embodiments, the computer can select the interface by performing a longest-prefix matching lookup operation on a Forwarding Information Base (FIB) if the message is a CCN Interest, or on a Pending Interest Table (PIT) if the message is a CCN Content Object.

The computer then selects a TLV to compress from the CCN message, and searches the compression table for an entry that includes a prefix of the TLV's value (operation 408). If an entry exists, the computer obtains a compression encoding for the TLV from the compression table entry (operation 410), and generates a compressed TLV that includes the compression encoding and the additional characters that follow the prefix in the TLV's value (operation 412).

In some embodiments, if the compression table does not include at least a prefix of the TLV's value, the computer can add an entry that includes the prefix and an encoding for the prefix. However, because the compression table needs to be synchronized with the neighbor, the computer may not use this new code for the prefix until the table has been synchronized with the neighbor.

The computer may then generate a compressed TLV that includes the compression encoding and the additional characters that follow the prefix in the TLV's value (operation 412). If the CCN message includes more TLVs to compress (operation 414), the computer returns to operation 408 to search the compression table. Otherwise, the computer can generate a compressed message that includes the compressed TLVs in place of the CCN message's TLVs (operation 416), and can proceed to send the compressed CCN message via the interface (operation 418).

FIG. 5 presents a flow chart illustrating a method for decompressing TLVs in a CCN message in accordance with an embodiment. When the computer receives a CCN message via an interface (operation 502), the computer can determine whether the message includes a compressed TLV (operation 504). If a compressed TLV doesn't exist, the computer may not need to decompress the CCN message.

Otherwise, the computer can select a compression table associated with the interface (operation 506), and obtains a compression encoding and a values suffix from the compressed TLV (operation 508). The computer can then search the compression table for a value that corresponds to the compression encoding (operation 510).

If the computer determines that the TLV or the decompressed value has other encodings (operation 512), the computer can return to operation 510 to search the compression table. Otherwise, the computer can generate a decompressed TLV by appending the compressed TLV's suffix to the decompressed values from the compression table (operation 514).

The computer may then determine whether there are other compressed TLVs in the CCN message (operation 516), and if so, the computer can return to operation 508 to decompress the TLV. Otherwise, the computer can generate an decompressed CCN message that includes the decompressed TLVs (operation 518), and proceeds to process the decompressed CCN message as usual.

Compressing CCN Message Data and TLVs

In some embodiments, a computer can use a compression table to compress any data in a CCN message, including data not represented by a TLV. For example, the computer can compress segments of data into a predetermined data structure that specifies whether the data is a TLV or other data. Another computer that decompresses the block can determine, from the block, whether the compressed data is a TLV. Recall that a computer that compresses a TLV does not need to store the value's length in the compressed TLV. If the compressed data is a TLV, the computer can compute a length of the decompressed data's value, and uses the compressed data to generate the corresponding TLV.

FIG. 6 illustrates a structure of a compressed block 600 that facilitates compressing TLVs and non-TLV data in a CCN message in accordance with an embodiment. Compressed block 600 can include a first byte 602, and can include one or more optional bytes 610 that may follow first byte 602. Specifically, first byte 602 can include a TLV_BIT field 604 that indicates whether compressed block 600 encodes a TLV (e.g., if TLV_BIT is set to ‘1’), or encodes other data (e.g., if TLV_BIT is set to ‘0’). Compressed block 600 can also include a CONTINUATION_BIT 606 that, when set (e.g., set to ‘1’), indicates that optional bytes 610 follow compressed block 600. First byte 602 can also include a CONTEXT_ENTRY field 608 that can specify a code that corresponds to a data pattern. A compression table maps the code to the data pattern.

Optional bytes 610 can include a CONTINUATION_BYTES field 614 that specifies additional data to append after the decrypted data pattern. Optional bytes 610 may also include a CONTINUATION_LENGTH field 612, which specifies a size (e.g., a number of bytes) of the data in CONTINUATION_BYTES 614.

In some embodiments, a computer that needs to decompress block 600 can use TLV_BIT 604 to determine when the data extracted from compressed block 600 needs to be represented by a TLV. The computer can also use CONTINUATION_BIT 606 to determine how to extend the data in CONTEXT_ENTRY 608, such as to extend a CCN name prefix represented by CONTEXT_ENTRY 608 to form the full CCN name that goes into the “value” field of the TLV.

FIG. 7A presents a flow chart illustrating a method for compressing TLVs and non-TLV data in a CCN message in accordance with an embodiment. During operation, the computer can obtain a message to compress (operation 702), and can search a compression table for a code corresponding to a longest prefix of the uncompressed message (operation 704).

If a match is found (operation 706), the computer can proceed to append a compressed block that includes the code to a compressed message, in place of the matching prefix. For example, if the new compressed block is the first block, the computer generates a new compressed message that includes the compressed block. Otherwise, if the compressed block is to extend a compressed message (e.g., a preceding compressed block exists), the computer can set the preceding block's CONTINUATION_BIT field to ‘1’ (operation 708). The computer also generates the new compressed block so that it includes the code in a CONTEXT_ENTRY field, and appends the new compressed block to the compressed message (operation 710).

If the segment currently being compressed is a TLV (operation 712), the computer sets the block's TLV_BIT field to ‘1’ (operation 714), and compresses the remainder of the TLV (operation 716). Otherwise, the computer sets the block's TLV_BIT field to ‘0’ (operation 720). The computer then determines if there's more data that needs to be compressed in the CCN message (operation 718). If so, the computer can return to operation 704 to search for additional compression table entries that can be used to compress segments of the CCN message.

If the search in the compression table does not result in a match (e.g., during operation 704), or if there is no more data in the message to compress (operation 718), the computer can proceed to set a preceding block's CONTINUATION BIT field to ‘0’ (e.g., the last block in the compressed CCN message) (operation 722). If there is additional uncompressed data to append to the CCN message (e.g., data for which the compression-table lookup in operation 704 did not provide a code), the computer can append, to the last block of the compressed CCN message, a CONTINUATION LENGTH field that includes the length of the remainder of the original CCN message (operation 724). The computer also appends, to the compressed CCN message, a CONTINUATION BYTES field that includes the remainder of the uncompressed message (operation 726).

Recall that TLV messages may include some data that is common across TLVs (e.g., a CCN name prefix), and can include additional data that can vary across TLVs. The computer can compress a TLV by performing additional lookup operations on the compression table to compress the TLV message up to the end of the TLV message, such as during operation 716. The additional blocks generated by operation 716 extend the first block generated for the TLV by operations 710-714.

FIG. 7B presents a flow chart illustrating a method for generating a compressed block for a TLV in a CCN message in accordance with an embodiment. During operation, the computer can search the compression table for a code corresponding to a longest prefix of the remainder of the compressed TLV (operation 752). If a match was found in the compression table (operation 754), the computer can append, to a preceding block for the compressed TLV, a CONTINUATION_LENGTH field with a value of 0 (zero) (operation 756). The computer also appends, to the compressed TLV, a compressed block that includes a CONTEXT_ENTRY field with the code from the compression table (operation 758).

If the match found during operation 752 is for a prefix of the remaining TLV data (e.g., if the prefix does not each the end of the TLV), the computer can set the block's CONTINUATION_BIT field to ‘1’ (operation 762), and returns to operation 752 to search for additional codes that can extend the compressed TLV. However, if the match found during operation 752 completes the TLV, the computer can set the CONTINUATION_BIT field to ‘0’ in the block (operation 764).

In some embodiments, if the search for a longest prefix in the compression table does not return a matching code (operation 754), the computer can append the remaining data of the TLV to the end of the compressed TLV. For example, the computer can append, to a block at the end of the compressed TLV, a CONTINUATION_LENGTH field with a value set to the length of the remaining TLV data (operation 766). The computer then appends, to the compressed TLV, a CONTINUATION_BYTES field that includes the remainder of the uncompressed TLV (operation 768).

FIG. 8A presents a flow chart illustrating a method for decompressing TLVs and non-TLV data in a CCN message in accordance with an embodiment. During operation, a computer can receive a compressed CCN message (operation 802), and obtains a compressed block from the CCN message (operation 804). The computer then obtains a code from the block's CONTEXT_ENTRY field (operation 806), and searches a compression table for an entry that maps the code to a decompressed value (operation 808).

The computer then determines if the decompressed value includes a nested compressed block (operation 810). If so, the computer can recursively decompress the nested compressed block(s) (operation 812). Otherwise, the computer skips the recursive decompression step and proceeds to determine if the block's CONTINUATION_BIT is set (operation 814). If the CONTINUATION_BIT is not set, the computer appends the decompressed data to the decompressed CCN message (operation 816), and returns the decompressed CCN message.

Otherwise, if the CONTINUATION_BIT is set, the system proceeds to decompress additional data from the compressed CCN message. For example, if the CONTINUATION_LENGTH field in the message has a non-zero value, the computer can append data from a CONTINUATION_BYTES field that follows the CONTINUATION_LENGTH field (whose size is specified in the CONTINUATION_LENGTH field) (operation 818). The computer then returns to operation 804 to obtain and decompress another block from the CCN message.

FIG. 8B presents a flow chart illustrating a method for decompressing a TLV compressed block in accordance with an embodiment. During operation, the computer determines whether the TLV_BIT is set in the block (operation 852). If the TLV_BIT is not set in the block (operation 852), the computer appends the decompressed data to the decompressed message (operation 862).

On the other hand, if the TLV_BIT is set, the computer can obtain a TLV “value” from the decompressed data (operation 854), and computes a length for the TLV value (operation 856). The computer can generate a TLV that specifies the comped length in a “length” field, and includes the “type” and “value” from the decompressed data in the TLV's “type” and “length” fields, respectively (operation 858). The computer may then append the TLV to the decompressed message (operation 860).

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary apparatus 900 that facilitates compressing or decompressing TLVs in a message in accordance with an embodiment. Apparatus 900 can comprise a plurality of modules which may communicate with one another via a wired or wireless communication channel. Apparatus 900 may be realized using one or more integrated circuits, and may include fewer or more modules than those shown in FIG. 9. Further, apparatus 900 may be integrated in a computer system, or realized as a separate device which is capable of communicating with other computer systems and/or devices. Specifically, apparatus 900 can comprise a communication module 902, a message-compressing module 904, a message-decompressing module 906, and a TLV-generating module 908.

In some embodiments, communication module 902 can send and/or receive compressed messages over a computer network (e.g., CCN), and can synchronize compression tables with neighboring network nodes. Message-compressing module 904 can compress a message and/or TLVs inside a message, and message-decompressing module 906 can decompress a message and/or a TLV inside a message. TLV-generating module 908 can recreate a TLV from a compressed TLV by computing a length of a decompressed component corresponding to the TLV's value. Message-decompressing module 906 can replace the compressed TLV in the message with the recreated TLV.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary computer system 1002 that facilitates compressing or decompressing TLVs in a message in accordance with an embodiment. Computer system 1002 includes a processor 1004, a memory 1006, and a storage device 1008. Memory 1006 can include a volatile memory (e.g., RAM) that serves as a managed memory, and can be used to store one or more memory pools. Furthermore, computer system 1002 can be coupled to a display device 1010, a keyboard 1012, and a pointing device 1014. Storage device 1008 can store operating system 1016, communication system 1018, and data 1026.

Communication system 1018 can include instructions, which when executed by computer system 1002, can cause computer system 1002 to perform methods and/or processes described in this disclosure. Specifically, communication system 1018 may include instructions for sending and/or receiving compressed messages over a computer network (e.g., CCN), and for synchronizing compression tables with neighboring network nodes (communication module 1020).

Further, communication system 1018 can include instructions for compressing a message and/or TLVs inside a message (message-compressing module 1022), and can also include instructions for decompressing a message and/or TLVs inside a message (message-decompressing module 1024). Communication system 1018 can also include instructions for recreating a TLV from a compressed TLV by computing a length of a decompressed component corresponding to the TLV's value, and replacing the compressed TLV in the message with the recreated TLV (TLV-generating module 1026).

Data 1026 can include any data that is required as input or that is generated as output by the methods and/or processes described in this disclosure. Specifically, data 1026 can store at least a set of compression tables associated with one or more virtual or physical interfaces, and a set of compressed and/or decompressed messages.

The data structures and code described in this detailed description are typically stored on a computer-readable storage medium, which may be any device or medium that can store code and/or data for use by a computer system. The computer-readable storage medium includes, but is not limited to, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, magnetic and optical storage devices such as disk drives, magnetic tape, CDs (compact discs), DVDs (digital versatile discs or digital video discs), or other media capable of storing computer-readable media now known or later developed.

The methods and processes described in the detailed description section can be embodied as code and/or data, which can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium as described above. When a computer system reads and executes the code and/or data stored on the computer-readable storage medium, the computer system performs the methods and processes embodied as data structures and code and stored within the computer-readable storage medium.

Furthermore, the methods and processes described above can be included in hardware modules. For example, the hardware modules can include, but are not limited to, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chips, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and other programmable-logic devices now known or later developed. When the hardware modules are activated, the hardware modules perform the methods and processes included within the hardware modules.

The foregoing descriptions of embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description only. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the forms disclosed. Accordingly, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. Additionally, the above disclosure is not intended to limit the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: selecting, by a computer and from a message, a type-length-value (TLV) component to compress; searching a compression table for an entry that includes a prefix of the TLV component's value; obtaining a compression encoding for the TLV value from the compression table entry; generating a compressed block that corresponds to a compressed version of the TLV component, wherein the compressed block includes the compression encoding in place of the prefix in the TLV component's value; and generating a compressed message that includes the compressed block in place of the TLV component.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining an interface for forwarding the message, based on the message's name; and selecting the compression table that corresponds to the interface.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: in response to generating the compressed message, forwarding the compressed message via the interface.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the compressed block involves: determining that the compression encoding corresponds to a subset of the TLV's value; and setting a continuation field of the compressed block, wherein the continuation field indicates that additional data follows the compressed block.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein generating the compressed block further involves: in response to determining that a suffix of the TLV component's value does not have a matching entry in the compression table: determining a size of the suffix; appending, to the end of the compressed block, a size field that includes the suffix's size; and appending the suffix to the size field.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein generating the compressed block further involves: in response to determining that a sequence of characters following the TLV component's value have a matching entry in the compression table: appending, to the compressed block, a size field with a zero value; and appending, to the size field, one or more additional compressed blocks that compress a remaining portion of the TLV component's value.
 7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising: selecting, from a message, a type-length-value (TLV) component to compress; searching a compression table for an entry that includes a prefix of the TLV component's value; obtaining a compression encoding for the TLV value from the compression table entry; generating a compressed block that corresponds to a compressed version of the TLV component, wherein the compressed block includes the compression encoding in place of the prefix in the TLV component's value; and generating a compressed message that includes the compressed block in place of the TLV component.
 8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising: determining an interface for forwarding the message, based on the message's name; and selecting the compression table that corresponds to the interface.
 9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising: in response to generating the compressed message, forwarding the compressed message via the interface.
 10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein generating the compressed block involves: determining that the compression encoding corresponds to a subset of the TLV's value; and setting a continuation field of the compressed block, wherein the continuation field indicates that additional data follows the compressed block.
 11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein generating the compressed block further involves: in response to determining that a suffix of the TLV component's value does not have a matching entry in the compression table: determining a size of the suffix; appending, to the end of the compressed block, a size field that includes the suffix's size; and appending the suffix to the size field.
 12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein generating the compressed block further involves: in response to determining that a sequence of characters following the TLV component's value have a matching entry in the compression table: appending, to the compressed block, a size field with a zero value; and appending, to the size field, one or more additional compressed blocks that compress a remaining portion of the TLV component's value.
 13. A method, comprising: receiving, by a computing device via a network interface, a compressed message; selecting a compression table associated with the interface; decompressing a message portion from a respective compressed block of the compressed message, using the compression table; in response to determining that the respective compressed block corresponds to a TLV component: computing a length of the message portion; and recreating the TLV component using the message portion and the computed length; and generating a decompressed message, which includes the TLV component in place of the compressed block.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: synchronizing entries of the compression table with a computer node accessible via the interface.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein decompressing the message portion from the respective compressed block involves: detecting that a continuation field of the compressed block indicates that additional data follows the compressed block; and reading a size field following the compressed block in the compressed message.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein decompressing the message portion from the respective compressed block further involves: in response to determining that the size field includes a non-zero value: reading a number of bytes that follow the compressed block, corresponding to the size to obtain a data suffix; and appending the data suffix to the message portion.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein decompressing the message portion from the respective compressed block further involves: in response to determining that the size field includes a zero value: decompressing a second compressed block that follows the respective compressed block in the compressed message, to obtain a second message portion; and appending the second message portion to the message portion.
 18. The method of claim 13, wherein decompressing the message portion from the respective compressed block involves: detecting that a continuation field of the compressed block indicates that additional data does not follow the compressed block; and appending the decompressed message portion to the decompressed message. 